blood of my blood
by astarisms
Summary: Michael wanted so badly to believe in his brother. Pre-Fall.


"Watch out for him. I see something festering inside him."

Michael doesn't know what to make of Raphael's words, when he recalls them to Gabriel later. It was a warning, he's absolutely certain, because he's never seen Heaven's doctor look so grave.

It's such a vague turn of phrase, though, and Michael doesn't know how to address it.

He watches Lucifer throw his head back in laughter when the rock that strikes Uriel's shoulder sends him tumbling off of Zadkiel's shoulders. The same old Lucifer.

He thinks Raphael must be mistaken, because there's nothing different about his little brother. And if there was, he would come to him about it. Michael is sure of it.

There's bigger problems before him, anyways, so he puts the omen to the back of his mind to deal with at a later date.

He doesn't have the time to deal with riddles. That's what Gabriel is for.

"Luce!"

Lucifer turns to greet him, and Michael smiles broadly. They've both been plenty busy, apparently, because Michael has hardly seen him in days.

He slings an arm around his brother's neck, pulling him in close.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it? Where have you been?"

Lucifer makes a sound that's a cross between a scoff and a laugh, trying halfheartedly to duck out of Michael's grip.

"It's been barely more than a week," he counters, and Michael laughs.

"Father needed less time than that for all of Creation. It's a long time to go without your favorite sibling."

Lucifer unwinds Michael's arm from around his neck.

"I'm afraid you might have to wait a bit longer. I'm a little preoccupied right now, but I'll find you first when I'm done."

Michael watches his retreating back.

The Garden of Eden is destroyed, and Heaven mourns its death.

Michael is running himself ragged trying to find the culprit. He has Gabriel talking to guards and Zadkiel interrogating suspects. He has Chamuel scouring what remains for evidence and Jophiel making sure no one gets in or out.

It's an act of treason. An act of war.

Michael is sickened by the very notion of it, and knowing that someone among them is filled with enough hatred to commit such an atrocity is almost too much for him.

 _I see something festering inside him_ , a part of him recalls Raphael's words from what feels like so long ago.

He immediately dismisses them, feeling guilty for even having the thought.

His brother, who is so diligently doing his part to find witnesses, could never have done this.

There are murmurs following the destruction of the Garden. They're little, baseless rumors, but they're enough to cast a cloud over Heaven.

They're enough to make the angels restless.

They're enough to make dread settle like lead in Michael's stomach.

Something is coming, but he doesn't know what. There are still no leads and he can feel the restlessness in the air. Even though it's only in the background, it permeates.

He searches for Lucifer, and eventually finds him talking to an angel. The angel bows his head towards Michael respectfully, then ducks out of sight.

"What were you doing?" Michael asks, watching the brown head bob away.

"Following up on a witness account," Lucifer says, turning to face him. There's something about him that makes Michael uneasy.

"...Do you have a minute? I'd like some company."

Lucifer smiles.

"Of course. For you, brother, anything."

Michael is tired in a way he has never been. The investigation is dragging, and Gabriel has not stopped talking for the past three hours.

"We should have a culprit by now," he says, standing abruptly and cutting Gabriel off, right before the door opens.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Lucifer says, looking between the two of them before his eyes finally settle on Michael's face. "Would you mind if I stole Michael for a bit, Gabe?"

Gabriel shakes his head, and Michael sighs in relief at the out. He rubs at his temples, grumbling, until they're out in the courtyard.

"Did you need something?" Michael asks. "Anything new from the witnesses? Any _new_ witnesses?"

Lucifer shakes his head, amused.

"No work. I just thought you might want to escape Gabriel's droning for awhile."

Michael's eyes widen in shock, and then he laughs. Lucifer has always known him best out of all their siblings.

Michael has never slept a day in his life but he's heard accounts of what it's like from the angels who are closer to the humans. _Who_ were _closer to the humans_ , he corrects.

The concept of dreaming especially fascinates him, and though he's never slept, he wonders if what he's been experiencing lately is similar.

He's been zoning out lately. His eyes don't close but he sees things, terrible things, and they're imprinted in the back of his mind. Fire and blood and screams and beautiful, stunning feathers at his feet.

He hears Raphael's voice so clearly, more often in his head than in person now.

 _Watch out for him. I see something festering inside him_.

He wishes they would go away because he feels nauseous after seeing them, more tired than before, and more unsure of himself than he's ever been.

He wishes they would go away because they make him doubt Lucifer.

Michael catches up to his brother, trying to meet his quick strides.

"Hey, hey, slow down, Luce! Going somewhere?" he teases, and Lucifer immediately drops his pace so he can catch up.

When they're level, Lucifer's eyes scan his face. Sharp as ever, he catches what's bothering Michael instantly.

"What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something."

There's an offbeat about him. He's not used to being unsure of himself or what he's doing. Lucifer tilts his head at him, sympathetic.

"What is it, brother?"

"I just want to be sure," Michael begins, and hesitates. Lucifer's expression is open and understanding. He feels silly for even needing the clarification. "If you had a problem, you would come to me with it, right?"

Lucifer smiles.

"Of course. You're the first one I go to, Michael. You know that."

The admission should be a relief. It isn't.

The tension is so thick, Zadkiel could slice through it with one of her knives. It's been gradual, but the murmurs are not background noise any longer.

Instead, Heaven is silent.

Everyone can feel it. There's something heavy in the air and no one can pinpoint it, least of all Michael. He wants to believe this is just a product of not having found whoever ruined the Garden, but it's far beyond that at this point.

Something else is happening. The shadow over Heaven and the eerie silence that accompanies it are not a coincidence.

Lucifer is nowhere to be seen. Michael can't find him in any of his usual spots, or in any of his unusual ones.

The pressure on his chest is almost suffocating.

Watch out for him.

Where is his brother?

I see something festering inside him.

Michael gasps as he comes out of his dreamlike state, ash on his tongue. Fire and blood and screams and, instead of feathers, a smile.

Sharp and deadly, like a serpent.

Michael wonders how long Lucifer has been poisoning him with his silver tongue.

Heaven is no longer quiet.

It's filled with chants of his brother's name, and the march of hundreds of feet. Their cheers are deafening as they swarm towards the edge.

Michael doesn't know what to make of it. All he knows is that the sting of betrayal drives him forward, burns so brightly it overwhelms the flame of his sword.

When he finds Lucifer, at the center of it all, he's blinded by his rage.

All those months, all those lies…

He doesn't think, doesn't feel, he just _does_.

And when the dust settles, when the ringing in his ears quiets, there are rainbow feathers at his feet and blood on his hands and fire all around him.

Michael wishes he had heeded all of the warnings.


End file.
